The Legend of Natilra Jones
by Radella Hardwick
Summary: What would you do if YOU saw a flash of green light on the horizon? Well for Natilra it's more what she WOULDN'T do that's a problem. This is my version of the first Pirates film. Warning: Lots of Will bashing! The first chapters aren't so well written.
1. 1 Coast of Somewhere Beautiful

Coast of Somewhere Beautiful

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Pirates of the Caribbean characters (****sigh****), places or objects.**

**A/N: I had a story with this title up before but it wasn't going the way I wanted. So here's my second go at conveying this story to you, the public. I'm a lot happier with it this time. I hope you enjoy reading it.**

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She was at peace.  
She had finally escaped her family and had managed to lose herself enough to finish her book.

She was staring across the rose-tinted sea at the horizon where, to her right, the sun was setting in all its splendour. Just three more days and she would be leaving this busy, warm, intensively alive island and heading back to the UK. But, for the moment, she was on one of the most beautiful beaches on the island and she intended to enjoy herself.

So as she stared across the water, her ever-working brain thought about Nancy Kingston's naivety, about how foolish she was to scour the seas to find one man when another perfectly fine one was right under her nose, about how she had become a _real _pirate

Then it happened, just as the sun disappeared, a flash of green light.  
'_Maybe it was just the natural phenomenon; maybe it didn't mean anything. Who am I trying to kid?  
I _had_ hoped I was past all this. Oh well, here goes, again._' She climbed down from the rocks, still holding her book and day-bag. When she reached the water's edge she wasn't in the least surprised to find a small dingy beached.  
'_Should I just disappear again or should I go tell them? But what would I tell them? "You remember the day after we went to see Pirates 3, I got up late? Well I'm going to disappear for several hours."  
Yeah, right! Well at least it took less than seven hours last time. I'll just say I was at the 'Costa Hermosa'._

'_But what if it isn't the same? I was dreaming last time not day-dreaming. And what if I _really _age this time, how on earth am I supposed to explain that?_

'_Am I really thinking about _not _taking this boat? I can't believe even the most cowardly part of me would think this!_

'_I'm not backing out of this but it does fall into the 'I wish I were dead' category. You know THAT argument all too well._

'_Why do I have to be so rational? And there haven't _really_ being any serious problems since I turned 16. I don't get very many opportunities to get OUT. I'm taking that boat ____ship!_' She laughed to find she quoted even to herself. She stowed her book and bag under the seat and then launched the dinghy.

It had been a long year and a half since she had been anywhere near the Caribbean and she had felt something calling her from the moment she had stepped off the plane. Here, she was back where she belonged in a boat on the sea and where she was going, it didn't matter if she couldn't swim. What mattered was how much experience you had and, depending when she was going, she was one of the most experienced sailors ever.

Once the sail was deployed she set the vessel into the wind knowing, only sub-consciously but knowing all the same, it was the right direction. After a couple of minutes she realised she was heading due west. That could mean only one thing; Jamaica. When she searched under the seat where her bag wasn't; she found a sack with provisions for a week, a pouch heavy with coins (_Well at least they had the decency to provide some money this time_), a sheath knife and her hat. "That's not possible!" she breathed when she saw it. Her hat, her most important effect, had gone down with her ship because Walkins wouldn't let her go with her beloved ship. She had to choke back tears at the memory.

'___Trinidad lay within my sights at long last. "Gentlemen, I give you Trinidad! This is our opportune moment. They are one governor, a handful of bored soldiers and the rest are fat, useless middle class. She is ours for the taking! Let's have her!!" ____But just as we were about to attack, Captain Robert Searle and Captain Stedman showed up with 80 plunderers to my 65 hand-trained and loyal gentlemen of fortune. They shouldn't have stood a chance but they had better guns and then it was sheer numbers that lost me the day. ____As my ship was about to sink and my crew were abandoning her. "Captain, we've got to go." my first mate Walkins called. "Then go!" I screamed through my tears. He came to me and held me. "I'm not leaving you. I love you." I waited with baited breath for him to say he meant it as a friend but he didn't. "Oh, Joshamee!" I sobbed into his shoulder. Once I regained my composure I stood and was I the most fearsome pirate on the seven seas once more. "This ship is the closet thing I have to family, Joshamee. If I can't go with her then the next best thing must. Get moving my love, I'm just going to put my hat in the heart of my daughter, my sister." He left me and ordered the longboats to move off. By the time I had stowed my hat and said my good-bye, the boats were a fair distance from my ship. I watched in horror, as Searle blew the boats from the water, not a tear fell from me. I felt sorry for them and their families but I could _feel _MY ship dying beneath my feet. I was on the rail in a moment and in the water the next. ____"_

After checking that she had her pistol to hand if she needed it, the girl cried herself sleep with the memories of when she had been a grown woman.

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**A/N: For those of you who are wondering I'm not going to post a prequel to this so you're going to have to wait and see what I tell you. (laughs evilly) I'm cruel, I know.  
Now just a few explainations:**

**According to Google's translator '**_**Costa Hermosa' **_**means **_**'Beautiful Coast'**_**.  
I got all my info on the Caribbean off the net so please forgive any inaccuracies.**

**Robert Searle was a real pirate and he did plunder Trinidad. Who's to say someone wasn't there before him?**

**Did you love it or hate it? Please let me know, because I won't post any more if I'm not ****encouraged. ;-)**

**I know the whole character from the future goes back and reworks the story to suit them has been done to death. So if you don't like, I won't post. It's that simple.**


	2. 2 Wherever you will go

Wherever you will go

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Pirates of the Caribbean characters (****sigh****), places or objects.**

**A/N: I got the quotes from IMDb and SimplyScripts. A very big hug to ****moonchild94 who is my first reviewer.**

**Also I'm using **_**NJ**_** as the section dividers because the asterisks I normally use aren't showing up.**

She arrived at Port Royal on the fourth day.

She doffed her hat as she passed the gibbets and bowed her head in respect. It was only then that she realised she was still in her 21st-century clothes.  
'_They give me my hat, money and a boat but no clothes this time. I'll have to steal some; at least I've got my pistol. It's a wonder my parents never saw it. But then again they are unobservant._'

Once she reached the quay she tied up and then went ashore carrying the sack, in which she had hidden her bag.

"What - hey. Hold up, there, you. It's a shilling to tie up your boat at the dock. And I shall need to know your name." She kept on walking but then another yell came from behind her. "Hey you! You in the odd clothes, with the spice sack!" She spun around; both the harbour-master and his young assistant took an involuntary step back.

"First and foremost; I don't have a name, I'm too insignificant." – her eyes were wide with innocence and tears shook her voice – "Secondly; I don't have any money left, I spent the last of it on that dinghy. My purpose here is to live with my uncle, a Mr Brown, since my father died. Tell you what though I'll let you have that boat, I'm sure you could sell it for at least a shilling." she grinned at him.

"Welcome to Port Royal, Mr Brown." She smiled and left him.

She hadn't walked ten paces when she heard him call out to someone else. When she turned she saw exactly what she had expected – Jack Sparrow.

As she walked into the town she was smiling to herself.

As soon as she reached the town her first port of call was a tailor's.  
"Good day to you, sir. How can I help you?" asked a stooped, elderly-looking man. She decided that it would be easier not to do this at gunpoint.

"Good day. I need to replace these clothes, which I picked up in Russia. I was hoping you might have something made up?" The shopkeeper nodded and led her through to the back room. In a couple of minutes she had a selection of shirts, breeches and a black coat. Once she had changed and put the rest into her sack, she went back into the shop.

"All of that will cost you 5s 20d." said the proprietor stepping in front of her.

"Oh, I don't think so." She pulled out her pistol. "Now I don't want to kill you but I will if I have to. So stand aside." Once he had done so he peered at her carefully.

"You are no boy. Who are you?"

"I'm Captain Natilra Jones!"  
"You can't be! She died over 50 years ago." She just grinned at him and left the shop.

NJ 

Half an hour after she had docked she was on the Interceptor's quay, fully kitted-out. She had _acquired_ a sword, a pair of boots and a sword belt to keep both of her weapons on. She was slightly behind Jack, when she arrived he was speaking to the two guards.

" How could it be that two upstanding gentlemen, such as yourselves, did not merit an invitation?" Then the slower of the two gave the most obvious answer ever on record.

"Someone's got to make sure that this dock stays off-limits to civilians."

"It's a fine goal, to be sure. But it seems to me that a ship like that one, makes this one here seem a bit superfluous, really." Jack said to vex the pair further.

"Oh, I would say so. Except there's no ship as can match the Interceptor for speed. Isn't that right, Gents?" Natilra chipped in, appearing next to Jack.

"And who are you, luv?" Jack asked, looking at her in surprise.

"Now that would be telling." she grinned at him.

"Well." he said turning back to the sentries. "I've heard of one, supposed to be very fast, nigh uncatchable: The Black Pearl."

"Well, there's no real ship as can match the Interceptor." said the less superstitious of the pair.

"The Black Pearl is a real ship." his companion answered.

"No, it's not."

"Yes it is, I've seen it."

"You've seen it?"

"Yes."

"You haven't seen it."

"Yes, I have."

"You've seen a ship with black sails that's crewed by the damned, and captained by a man so evil that Hell itself spat him back out?"

"No."

"No."

"But I have seen a ship with black sails."  
Jack and Natilra quietly slipped passed them unnoticed.

Once they were at the helm Jack turned his attention to her. "So, what do you want miss?"

"Firstly, could you possibly use my appropriate title? I'm a captain, like you." she drawled in a bored voice. "And I want the same as you." Before Jack could say anything Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum came rushing aboard.

"Hey! You! Get away from there."

"You don't have permission to be aboard there, mates."

"I'm sorry, it's just - it's such a pretty boat. Ship."

"Sorry, couldn't resist mates." said Natilra and her eyes were dancing with mischief.

"What are your names?"

"Smith. Or Smithy, if you like."  
"Jones."

"What's your purpose in Port Royal, Mr Smith? Mr Jones?"

"Yeah and no lies." said the stupider of the pair.

"Well, then, I confess, it is my intention to commandeer one of these ships, pick up a crew in Tortuga, raid, pillage, plunder and otherwise pilfer my weasely black guts out!" Jack said without taking breath.

"That would be my _real_ purpose to be here as well." Natilra said sounding almost bored.

"I said no lies!"

"I think they're telling the truth."

"If they were telling the truth, they wouldn't have told us."

"Unless, of course, we knew you wouldn't believe the truth even if we told it to you." said Natilra matter-of-factly.

Jack then started in on one of his tall tales. Then there was a sudden splash and a yell from the fort's battlements. "Will you be saving her then?" Jack asked sceptically

"I can't swim." said the sentry who had identified himself as Mullroy, his voice shaking slightly.

"Pride of the King's Navy you are." – he handed them his effects – "Do not lose these."

NJ 

Natilra was on the dock in matter of seconds. "I got her!" she reassured Jack as she took Elizabeth from him. She cut the corset open and Elizabeth spat out water and gasped for breath.

"Never would've thought of that."

"Clearly you've never been to Singapore." Jack said giving him a funny look. Then he saw themedallion and picked it up, all the better to see it.

He then addressed Elizabeth "Where did you get that?" Before she could answer, they were joined by group of rather annoyed men.

"On your feet." The Commodore said levelling his sword at Jack.

"Elizabeth. Are you alright?" her father asked her worriedly.

"Yes, I'm fine." When the governor saw the corset still in Natilra's hands his eyes narrowed. "Shoot him!" He indicated her. She laughed.

"I think he must be blind. What do you think?" she spoke to Jack, who smiled and nodded his agreement.

"What makes you think Governor Swann is blind?" Norrington spat through gritted teeth.

"Because he thinks I'm a 'him'." she said simply. They then looked harder and gasped when they saw she was a woman.

"I believe thanks are in order." The commodore offered Jack his hand to shake and then revealed the 'P' for pirate on Jack's wrist. "Had a brush with the East India Trading company, did we, pirate?"

"Hang him. And what about her?" Elizabeth's father ordered. Natilra pulled down the shoulder of her shirt, to reveal her own 'P'

"I didn't know the East India Trading Company branded people on the shoulder. Keep your guns on them, men. Gillette, fetch some irons."

Natilra spoke as Norrington inspected Jack's tattoo of a sparrow in flight. "Son, the EIT co. are nothing to the Spanish. And it was them who gave me this."

"Well, well Jack Sparrow, isn't it? And who are you?"

"_Captain_ Jack Sparrow, if you please, sir."

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." – Natilra assured him but when he prickled she sighed – "I'm Captain Natilra Jones. You may have heard of me." She grinned at the looks of disbelief she got from everyone; Jack included. "I warned you."

"Well, I don't see either of your shipsCaptains." Norrington sneered.

"My boat is docked, but the Harbourmaster has probably sold it by now."

"And I'm in the market as it were."

"He said he'd come to commandeer one." said Murtogg

"Told ya they was telling the truth. These are his, sir." Mullroy handed Jack's effects to Norrington.

"No additional shots nor powder. A compass that doesn't point north." – he then unsheathed the sword – "And I half expected it to be made of wood. You are without doubt the worst pirate I've ever heard of."  
"But you have heard of me."  
"And where are her belongings."  
"I don't believe it! How old are you Commodore? And already blind!" she laughed. "I mean, honestly! 'Where are her belongings?' Do I _look _like they stripped me" – she paused – "of my belongings." Jack and Natilra both burst out laughing, at the looks on the faces of the civilised people as they realised what she had just said. But they were more surprised than the citizens to hear Elizabeth laughing with them were. Norrington then ordered for them to be chained.

NJ 

"Commodore, I really must protest." Elizabeth moved between Norrington and Natilra.

"Carefully, Lieutenant." the commodore said to Gillette, as the latter pushed Natilra to one side and dragged Jack over.

"Pirate or not this man saved my life. And I would not be breathing if it were not for this woman." Natilra gave Jack a look that said all to clearly 'Keep your mouth shut!' and he gave her a grin which told her he would do just that.

"One good deed is not enough to redeem a man of a lifetime of wickedness." was Norrington's retort.

"Though it seems enough to condemn him." Jack cut in.

"Indeed." Gillette then moved away from Jack.

"Finally." Jack threw his chain around Elizabeth's neck.

"No, don't shoot!"

"I knew you'd warm up to me." – he hissed in her ear – "Commodore Norrington, my effects, please, and my hat. Commodore! Elizabeth. It is Elizabeth isn't it?"

"It's Miss Swann." she spat.

"Come now, Elizabeth. You laughed with us! Here's your chance to indulge in a little piracy yourself." Natilra argued persuasively.

"Elizabeth, if you'd be so kind. Come, come, dear. We don't have all day. Now if you'd be very kind." She strapped on his sword, put his hat on his head and draped his coat on his shoulders. _"_Easy on the goods, darling."

"You're despicable."

"Sticks and stones, luv. I saved your life, you save mine, we're square. Gentlemen, m'lady, you will always remember this as the day that you almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow!" He then pushed Elizabeth away and went to the canon's winch. Natilra was there before him and, to their mutual amusement, put her arms over his head and draped them around his shoulders. They swung around above the heads of the naval officers and landed on a beam.

"Now, will you shoot them?"

"Open fire! On their heels." Norrington ordered as Jack threw his chains about a rope and they slid down to the ground. "Gillette, Mr Sparrow and Miss Jones have a dawn appointment with the gallows. I would hate for them to miss it."

NJ 

They waited until the soldiers had passed and then entered the smithy. Jack started to walk over to the drunk and sleeping Mr Brown.

"There's no point. I was in here earlier, trying out swords, and he didn't wake." She walked over to the forge, pulled out a metal rod and then approached the donkey. Once they were free she turned to Jack.

"Why did you bring me with you? You're a pirate and that means you look out for yourself and no-one else."

"If you really _are _the infamousCaptain Natilra Jones, then there's no harm in having your assistance." He flashed her his trademark grin and started for the door but someone was opening from outside. She pulled him out of sight.

"We really ought to leave right now." she hissed in his ear, causing one of his braids to sway.

"Now you're the blind one. The blacksmith will see us if we try to leave." he grinned at her.

"No, there's a back door." The look of comprehension was wiped from his face when the Whelp turned around.

"He looks bloody familiar." and, before she could say anything, Jack had stepped out with his sword drawn. "You seem somewhat familiar. Have I threatened you before?"

"I make a point of avoiding familiarity with pirates."

"Ah, well, then it would be a shame to put a black mark on your record. So, if you'll excuse me" he had turned away and was about to leave when Turner got his own sword out. "Do you think this wise, boy - crossing blades with a pirate?"

"You threatened Miss Swann."

"Only a little."

Natilra settled on the steps, leading up to the door, to watch the sword-fight. After a while Jack sheathed his sword and walked towards her, she just lounged there. The Whelp threw his sword, which got stuck in the door, barring the exit. She laughed when she heard Jack rattling the sword.

"It's not going to work." she said in a singsong voice.

"That is a wonderful trick except, once again you are between me and my way out. And now you have no weapon." he said as he jumped down from behind her. '_**Now**__ he thinks about escaping!_' Turner took out the metal rod, the one she had used earlier on the donkey, and the fight started in earnest.

A while later Jack piped up again.

"Who makes all these?" He asked looking pointedly at the swords.

"I do! And I practice with them three hours a day!"

"You need to find yourself a girl, mate! Or perhaps the reason you practice three hours a day is that you already found one and are otherwise incapable of wooing said strumpet. You're not a eunuch, are you?" Natilra laughed to hear her favourite monologue out of Jack's mouth.

NJ 

After what seemed, at least to Natilra, an hour Jack lost his weapon. He then blinded the Whelp with sand and took out his pistol while his opponent protected his eyes.

"You cheated!"  
"Pirate!" He heard the men at the door and then returned his attention to Turner. "Move away."

"No."

"Please move."

"No! I cannot just step aside and let you escape."

"This shot is not meant for you." Just as Jack should have got hit on the head with a bottle of alcohol, there was a loud crack as the butt of Natilra's pistol came down on Mr Brown's head and he fell unconscious. Before they could move, Norrington's men came crashing in.

"Nice one, Sparrow. We could be half way to Cuba by now." she muttered so only he could hear her. He gave her an apologetic look but also grinned at the thought.

"Excellent work, Mr Turner. You've assisted in the capture of dangerous fugitives. Well, I trust you will always remember this as the day that Captain Jack Sparrow almost escaped. Take them away."

"Why don't you believe me, James?" Natilra said, smirking at Norrington.

"You forget your place, pirate." he spat the last word out.

"Manners! You are the one who does not know my place, not me. I am tenth in line to the English throne. I am a Lindsey!"

"These claims are pathetic!"

"Really? King James the first of England didn't think so." Her voice shook with tears as she spoke. Without another word, the two pirates were taken away.

NJ 

When they reached the jail, Natilra was relieved to be put into the same cell as Jack. He settled in one corner and grinned up at her.

"What do you want to do with your last night, luv?"

"I'll tell ye when I get there. But right now I want to keep warm." She walked across the cell, sat down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. She grinned up at him. "Tell me if ye're uncomfortable." He grinned back and put his arm around her shoulders.

"Who are you two?" asked one of the prisoners in the other cell.

"Captain Jack Sparrow." He was readying himself to tell another story but then she spoke.

"Captain Natilra Jones." her voice was quiet and bored but they all heard her.

"That's not possible!"

"She's dead!"

"I've 'eard stories 'bout 'er."

"That's nice." she sighed, stood up and went to the window. "I'd be more worried if you _'adn't _'eard the stories. Which 'ave you 'eard?" She sat on the stone bench and Jack sat down next to her, so they could share their body-heat.

"They say you built the Black Pearl single-handed in three years."

"Yes, I did." They all looked at her in awe, even Jack.

"Is true that you beat Philippe Bequel, the famous privateer?" asked another of the prisoners.

She smiled. "Ah, yes. I'd forgotten about that one. Ronsk's parents were distraught but very proud 'e 'ad done so well" she added as an after-thought.

"Who's Ronsk, luv?" Jack said giving her an odd look.

She sighed heavily. "Ronsk was one of the many ship's boys I had over the years. He was only 12 when he was killed, he'd been serving with me for four years by the time he by the time he " She finally broke down and cried, clinging onto Jack's vest. He pulled her into his arms, so she was curled up on his lap.

"Gents, would you be so good as to stop gawking at us." he called to the prisoners over the top of her head. After a while she fell asleep in his arms.

**A/N: Some of you are going to say "She didn't need to threaten the shopkeepers." and "How come she didn't get arrested?" Well, Natilra is very much a no-nonsense kind of person and she bound and gagged all but the tailor. The tailor was once a sailor and so had a great respect for her.**

**For anyone who is wondering Natilra deliberately speaks differently to the prisoners than how she speaks to Jack and the other reasonably intelligent people she comes into contact with.**

**I know I've probably annoyed people by dropping hints about her past adventures but I'm going to keep doing it. Because I'm cruel like that. :D**

**And ****Philippe Bequel was also a real pirate.**


	3. 3 Sweet Escape

Sweet Escape

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Pirates of the Caribbean characters (****sigh****), places or objects.**

**A/N: I got the quotes from SimplyScripts.**

She awoke and all that had happened came back in a rush.

The air to her right was thick with whistles and calls of: "Come here, boy. Want a nice juicy bone? Come here. Come on."

"You can keep doing that forever, the dog is never going to move." She looked around to see Jack was lounging on the floor.

"Oh, excuse us if we haven't resigned ourselves to the gallows just yet."

"I 'aven't resigned meself to the gallows neither but I'm not going ta waste me time on that filthy, slimy, mangy cur." Natilra interjected groggily.

"Oh, you're awake are you, luv?"

"Look! The dead woman is awake again!"

"Yes, I'm awake." she said and swung herself round into a sitting position, her foot hit Jack accidentally-on-purpose as she moved. Then she was once more deluged with questions about her past. She answered them as best she could until she broke down again. Much to her surprise Jack pulled her into his arms again.

Quite some time later they heard the sound of cannon fire and both captains lept to the window.

"I know those guns." said Jack.

"It's the Pearl." breathed Natilra.

The prisoner that had been bugging Natilra with questions earlier then chipped in.

"The Black Pearl? I've heard stories. She's been preying on ships and settlements for near ten years. Never leaves any survivors."

"No survivors? Then where do the stories come from, I wonder?" grinned the Pearl's last captain.

"What do you mean 'near ten years'? I built 'er over 85 years ago!" said her first captain in frustration.

"This time, I meant." the prisoner quickly back-tracked. She nodded and sank back down on the ledge.

After a while a hole was blown in the fort wall and as the other prisoners were escaping one of them called to the captains.

"My sympathies, friends, you've no manner of luck at all."

Jack then picked up the bone and whistled.

"Come on, doggy. It's just you and me now. It's you and ol' Jack." – "Don't I exist any more?" Natilra commented in a bored voice. – "Come on. Come on, good boy. That's a good boy, come on! Bit closer, bit closer. That's it, that's it, doggy. Come on you filthy, slimy, mangy cur." – there was a crash upstairs and the dog ran away – "No, no, no, no, no, I didn't mean it. I didn't" there was a crash as the prison guard was thrown down the stairs.

One of the two pirates who had appeared behind him, looked around.

"This ain't the armoury."

His mate caught sight of Jack and nudged him.

"Well, well, well, look what we have here Twigg – Captain Jack Sparrow."

"Last time I saw you, you were all alone on a godforsaken island, shrinking into the distance. His fortunes aren't improved much." Twigg said.

"Worry about your own fortunes, gentlemen. The deepest circle of Hell is reserved for betrayers and mutineers." Jack said, provoking the second of the pair to grab his throat and both of the inmates saw the arm turn skeletal. "So there is a curse. That's interesting."

"You know nothing of Hell." said the one holding Jack. They were about to leave when Natilra spoke.

"I would say that's _very_ interesting, wouldn't you Jack?" She was now standing at his side.

"Look what we have here Koehler – a wench and in Jack's cell."

"You obviously don't know who I am." her tone was lazy.

"And who are you then?" sneered Koehler.

"Captain Natilra Jones." Both pirates gasped and stared at her wide-eyed but then their eyes narrowed.

"You're a filthy liar! To pose as the greatest pirate who ever lived." Twigg nearly screamed at her. She then slid the shoulder of her shirt down, for the second time that day, to reveal the 'P' brand.

"I'm so sorry, Captain Jones. Is there anything we can do?" Twigg asked from his knees, where he had fallen when he had realised who she was.

"Get up, you idiot!" Koehler kicked his companion in the side. "Captain Barbossa wouldn't be exactly happy to see her, now would he?" and with that they left, laughing heartily.

"Charming!" Natilra said, her voice heavy with sarcasm. "I suppose we may as well get comfortable." she sighed. Jack grinned at her.

"It might get cold now we have that lovely window." he said mock-serious. She gave him her most mischievous and seductive smile.

"Would you care to join me, Jack? It is Jack isn't it?" He laughed to hear his own words thrown back at him. He laid himself down beside her on the ledge. His left arm slid underneath her and around her waist, while the other crossed her chest. She fell asleep with his right hand cupping her cheek and the other resting on her hip.

_NJ_

Natilra awoke to find Jack trying to pick the lock with the bone. But when he heard footsteps he left the bone in the lock and lay down.

"You. Sparrow!" the Whelp said unnecessarily loud.

"Aye."

"You are familiar with that ship - the Black Pearl?"

"I've heard of it."

"Where does it make berth?" Jack inspected the boy in front of him before answering.

"Where does it make berth? Have you not heard the stories? Captain Barbossa and his crew of miscreants sail from the dreaded Isla de Muerta. It's an island that cannot be found except by those who already know where it is."

"The ship's real enough. Therefore its anchorage must be a real place. Where is it?"  
"'Real enough'? Could I have made it any realer for you?" Natilra said indignantly.

"What do you mean?"

"Haven't you heard _any_ stories?! I built the Pearl in three years, all by myself. She's the closest thing I have to a child!" said Natilra, starting to get hysterical.  
Jack put his arm around her shoulders to comfort her. But she was shaking with rage, not tears.

"Why ask me where the Pearl's anchorage is?" he said, looking at the boy on the other side of the doors.

"Because you're a pirate." the latter replied simply.

"And you want to turn pirate yourself, is that it?"

"The day he joins our ranks is a sad day for piracy." Natilra muttered so only Jack could hear her.

"Never! They took Miss Swann." the boy looked away as he said that.

"Oh, so it is that you've found a girl. I see." – Jack grinned and Natilra couldn't resist smiling at the Whelp's discomfort – "Well, if you're intending to brave all, hasten to her rescue and so win fair lady's heart you'll have to do it alone, mate. I see no profit in it for me."

"I can get you out of here."

"How's that? The key's run off." She couldn't help but laugh at Jack's comeback.

"I helped build these cells. These are half pin-barrel hinges." – Turner picked up a bench and placed it at the bottom of the cell door – "With the right leverage and the proper application of strength... the door will lift free." was the Whelp's rather endearing reply.

"What's your name?"

"Will Turner."  
"That will be short for William, I imagine. Good, strong name. No doubt, named for your father, eh?"

"Yes."

"Uh-huh. Well, Mr. Turner, I've changed me mind. If you spring us from this cell I swear on pain of death I shall take you to the Black Pearl and your bonny lass. Do we have an accord?" They shook hands through the bars.

"Agreed. But what about her?"

"Get _us_ out." At that Jack's cell mate gave him a radiant smile and kissed him on the cheek.

Turner lifted the door free and the prisoners stepped over the debris.

"Hurry. Someone will have heard that."

"Not without my effects."

"I second that!"

**A/N: I know this is quite a bit shorter.**

**Please let me know if you think she is Mary Sue-ish. She's based on me, so I don't think she can be that perfect. ;-)**

**I'm editing and rewriting my other story so I don't know how updating is going to go.**

**I love reviews because I love to know what people really think.**


	4. 4 Think Twice

Think Twice

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Pirates of the Caribbean characters (****sigh****), places or objects.**

**A/N: I got the quotes from SimplyScripts.**

**Sorry I was away for so long. I could go into detail but that would bore you to tears! So, my only excuse is "Life got in the way". Please don't kill me.**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

She ducked into the shelter of a bridge.

"We're going to steal the ship. That ship?" Turner said, glancing at the _Dauntless_, once him and Jack had joined her.

"Commandeer. We're going to commandeer that ship," said Jack indicating the _Interceptor_. "Nautical term. One question about your business, boy, or there's no use going. This girl - how far are you willing to go to save her?" Jack asked turning on the Whelp.

"I'd die for her," the latter replied.

"Oh, good. No worries, then." Natilra beat Jack to it by a split second. Jack then led them over to one of the jolly-boats that was pulled up on the shore.

Once they were walking along the harbour-bed, under the boat with Jack in the lead, the Whelp decided to burden them with his wisdom.

"This is either madness or brilliance."

"It's remarkable how often those two traits coincide," Jack replied.

They then boarded the _Dauntless_, by means of the rope Turner had "picked up" on their under-water walk.

"Everyone stay calm! We are taking over the ship," Jack called to the crew.

"Aye! Avast!" Turner shouted from behind Jack. As the men laughed Natilra rolled her eyes.

"This ship cannot be crewed by two men. You'll never make it out of the bay," the naval officer, known to them as Gillette, said.

"Now that's where you're wrong, Lieutenant," said Natilra, moving to stand at the head of the quarterdeck stairs so all of the navy men could see her. "Of course two men can crew this _ship_. Particularly when one of them is Captain Jack Sparrow and when they are being assisted by the legendary Captain Natilra Jones. Savvy?" As she uttered the last word she raised her pistol.

It was easy after that. The men were navy but they were still sailors and as such had heard stories about her to make their hair curl, to make their hearts beat for adventure and to make them blush.

Shortly after setting the crew off in a jolly-boat Turner noticed the _Interceptor _setting sail.

"Here they come." Jack turned and grinned at Natilra, who grinned back.

Norrington sailed his ship alongside the _Dauntless_. Once they were certain all of the navy were off the _Interceptor_, Jack and Natilra swung over to the other ship, with the Whelp tightly holding onto Jack. They then began to sail her away; it was only then that Norrington noticed.

"Sailors, back to the _Interceptor_! Now!"

"Thank you, Commodore, for getting us ready to make way. We'd have had a hard time of it by ourselves." Jack called and doffed his hat to Norrington.

"Yes, we're indebted to you James." Natilra shouted and bowed to him in the style of the Thai people.

Once they were well away Natilra turned to Jack, who was at the helm.

"Can I take over? It helps me relax and I have a few things I need to think over." He just grinned at her and moved aside so she could take the wheel, which she did. But as soon as she was settled and let her mind wander to the problem of being here, someone's hands rested on her's and someone pressed themselves gently against her from behind. Then the someone whispered in her ear.

"Why don't you just relax into me?" She smirked.

"That sounds nice. It's been way too long since I had someone to lean on, someone I could trust."

"What makes you think you can trust me? I am a notorious pirate after all."

"It's obviously escaped your notice that I'm a somewhat famous pirate myself." Jack chuckled.

"You're not pushing me away."

"Do you want me to?" she queried curiously, as if they were discussing nothing of anymore importance than where to trade their haul.

"No, I want you to turn around."

"And why would you want that?"

"So I can kiss you," he hissed in her ear and she shivered appreciatively.

"Now that would be to easy for you." That said she slipped out from within his arms and walked over to where the Whelp was sharpening his sword.

"When I was a lad living in England, my mother raised me by herself. After she died, I came out here, looking for my father," Turner started, now he was sure of Jack's attention.

"Is that so?" returned the latter, disinterestedly.

"My father, Will Turner. At the jail, it was only after you learned my name that you agreed to help. Since that's what I wanted, I didn't press the matter. I'm not a simpleton, Jack. You knew my father." Natilra snorted at his claim of not being a 'simpleton', as he put it.

"I knew 'im. Probably one the few who knew him as William Turner. Everyone else just called him Bootstrap or Bootstrap Bill."

"Bootstrap?" The Whelp's brow furrowed.

"Good man. Good pirate. I swear you look just like him," said Jack, letting go of the wheel with one hand and swinging around to look at Turner. His actions earned him a sharp look from the other captain and his words an outburst from the land-lubber.

"It's not true. He was a merchant sailor. A good, respectable man who obeyed the law."

"He was a bloody pirate, a scallywag," retorted Jack, once again in full control.

"My father was not a pirate!" the blacksmith said and unsheathed his sword.

"Put it away, son. It's not worth you getting beat again," Natilra said, beating Jack yet again.

"He didn't beat me. He ignored the rules of engagement, in a fair fight. I'd killed him."

"Then that's not much incentive for me to fight fair, then, is it?" Jack said and moved one of the sails so that the yard caught the Whelp because he didn't duck, unlike Natilra, and swung him out over the sea. "Now, as long as you're just hanging there, pay attention. The only rules that really matter are these - what a man can do and what a man can't do. For instance, you can accept that your father was a pirate and a good man or you can't. But pirate is in your blood, boy, so you'll have to square with that someday. Now, me, for example, I can let you drown but I can't bring this ship into Tortuga all by me onesy, savvy?" –

"That's it I definitely don't exist anymore, do I?" Natilra shot angrily at Jack. –

"Sorry luv, of course you do." He then swung the boy back on board and offered him his sword. "So can you sail under the command of a pirate? Or can you not?"

Turner took the sword

"Tortuga?" Both Captains grinned down at him.

"Tortuga." Natilra said with pleasure.

**A/N: I know this is quite short but I think it's a good stopping point.**

**Please review and I'll promise to update quicker. XD**


	5. 5 Tortuga

Tortuga

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Pirates of the Caribbean characters (****sigh****), places or objects.**

**A/N: I got the quotes from SimplyScripts. At last a longer chapter, sorry about all those short ones. I hope you enjoy this chapter**

Once they had anchored in the pirate isle's harbour, they all went ashore.

As the entered Jack took a stick from some wretch who was being chucked out and then spoke to Turner.

"Tortuga. More importantly, it is indeed a sad life that has never breathed deep this sweet, proliferous bouquet that is Tortuga, right Natilra? So, what do you think?"

She smiled reminiscently and nodded in agreement.

The Whelp, however, replied verbally.

"It'll linger."

"I'll tell you mate, if every town in the world were like this one, no man would ever feel unwanted," Jack said encouragingly. Natilra looked at him, sizing him up or so it seemed to the Whelp.

Just then an 'entertainer' dressed in red and with a mole on her chin sauntered up to them.

"Scarlett!" Jack said with pleasure stepped towards her. Scarlett slapped him so hard his head whipped round to face the other two. "Not sure I deserved that."

Oh, aren't you Jack," said Natilra, barely suppressing her amusement. Now another of the 'ladies of ill-repute' approached, this one dressed in yellow.

"Giselle!" cried Jack.

"Who was she?" asked the latest arrival.

"What?" Jack blurted out stupidly before she slapped him, this time Natilra _did _burst out laughing. "I may have deserved that," conceded her fellow captain.

_NJ_

They made their way to one of the taverns, where Jack asked after Joshamee Gibbs. On their third attempt Natilra was told he had been thrown into the pigsty, she paid the girl then they left. They found the promised building off a courtyard that was quiet by Tortuga's standards. The gentleman and Mr Turner had filled buckets at the tavern's well and Jack threw his over the sleeping man.

"Curse you for breathing, you slack-jawed idiot!" Gibbs said jerking awake but then he recognised his rouser. "Mother's love! Jack! You should know better than to wake a man when he's sleeping. 'S bad luck." Natilra had to leave the shed rapidly because her tears were threatening to spill at any moment. This meant she only heard Jack's next words rather faintly.

"Ah, fortunately I know how to counter it. The man who did the waking buys the man who was sleeping, a drink. The man who was sleeping drinks it while listening to a proposition from the man who did the waking."

The three of them came out a few minutes later and Jack put his arm around her shoulders.

"What's wrong, luv?"

"It's as if he _is _Joshamee. I mean even his voice is identical," she said, choking back her tears.

"Well he is Joshamee, that's his name," Jack said, puzzlement written all over his face. She laughed, rested her head on his shoulder and walked on without explaining. They entered the tavern by means of the side-door. Once Natilra and Gibbs were settled at a table, Jack went for drinks. He stopped to talk to the Whelp before rejoining them.

"Now, what's the nature of this venture of your'n?" Gibbs asked, excepting his drink from Jack.

"I'm going after the Black Pearl," Jack said, making Gibbs almost choke on his drink. "I know where it's going to be, and I'm going to take it."

"Jack, it's a fool's errand. Why, you know better than me the tales of the Black Pearl," Gibbs responded as soon as he was able. Natilra smirked at his words, a smirk Jack saw and answered with his own.

"Yes and I them better than both of you. But that's why we know what Barbossa is up to. All Jack and I need is a crew," Natilra persuasively argued, entering the conversation for the first time.

"And who are you, exactly?" queried Gibbs, suspiciously.

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you." Natilra took a swig of rum, leaned back from the table and pulled her hat low over her eyes.

"From what I hear tell of Captain Barbossa, he's not a man to suffer fools, nor strike a bargain with one. What makes you think he'll bargain with you, lass?" Gibbs stated, sounding so like that other Joshamee that Natilra was thankful for her hat hiding most of her face. She didn't answer him though.

"Well, then I'd say it's a very good thing I'm not a fool then, eh?" Jack said, capturing Gibbs' attention once more.

"Prove me wrong. What makes ye think Barbossa will give up his ship to you?" The old navy man was still incredulous.

"Let's just say it's a matter of leverage, eh?" Even without removing her hat, Natilra could tell Jack was nodding at Will because his trinkets jangled.

"The kid?" Gibbs asked.  
'_Honestly, doesn't this guy do anything except ask questions!_' Natilra thought exasperatedly.

"That is the child of Bootstrap Bill Turner. His only child, savvy?" She could hear Jack's evil grin now.

"Is he, now? 'Leverage,' says you. 'I think I feel a change in the wind,' says I. I'll find us a crew. There's bound to be some sailors on this rock crazy as you." Natilra laughed, too hear Gibbs actually say it made it all the funnier. She dropped her chair onto all four legs soundlessly and resettled her hat into its proper position.

"One can only hope. Take what you can..." Jack toasted the other two.

All three clinked their tankards together; Natilra and Joshamee then chorused the response. "...Give nothing back." Then they drained their drinks.

_NJ_

That night they rented rooms at the tavern. They could only get two two-bed rooms. So the question was: Who would share with Natilra? The Whelp was 'without doubt the most honourable and honest', as Jack put it, but Natilra couldn't stick him and so chose Jack. They ate dinner and drank long into the night in the tavern with some of Tortuga's finest girls draping themselves all over the four of them, Natilra could make a very convincing man when she wanted to. The three experienced pirates told stories, trying to impress the girls and the Whelp.  
Once they were all sufficiently drunk and tired, they detached themselves from the girls and went up to bed. When Natilra saw the room she was sure t was the wrong one and made her way to the one Turner and Gibbs had disappeared into. Once she had properly taken the room in, she burst out laughing.

"What's up, luv?" Jack said, his words slurred by drink. Natilra merely pointed at the boys' room, speechless with laugher. Once Jack saw the scene in the room, he was also over-come with mirth.

"They look rather comfortable, don't they luv?" The sight of Gibbs and Turner both curled up on the double bed had obviously sobered Jack.

"That's why it's so disturbing," Natilra grinned up at him.

"Now, would I be correct in assuming there is a similar set-up in our room?" Jack queried, wiggling his eyebrows and smirk at her. She smirked back.

"Yes, so you'll be sleeping on the floor." He gave her a hurt look and she laughed softly. "Jack, have I ever given you reason to believe I would really make you do that?" she reassured him, only slightly mockingly. But then Jack surprised her by leaning down and kissing her. It was pure bliss. Even with rum on his breath, Jack was still the sweetest thing she had ever tasted. She pulled back first and looked at him solemnly.

"Jack, you won't try anything, will you? Tonight, I mean?"

"I would never do anything to distress or scare you. Never doubt that," Jack said seriously and put his arms around her waist. She grinned up at him.

"No, you would never do anything to scare me except steering with one hand." They both laughed and then went to their room. They were asleep the minute their heads hit the threadbare pillows.

_NJ_

She was once again watching the lifeboat being swept away on the current, the men trying desperately to row back to the sinking ship. Then there was the roar of a canon, the water turned pink and pieces of her crew were floating amidst the wreckage of the boat. They were all dead. There was no way on earth any of them could have survived. But then a man surfaced, it was Joshamee. He began to swim for the ship and she went to the ladder, to help him up when he reached her. He never reached the _Pearl_. Searle must have spotted him because when he was less than half way there another canon roared and he was blown to pieces.

"Joshamee!" she cried out and awoke, she always awoke then even that first night when it had been so real. This time, however, she wasn't left to cry herself back to sleep. This time someone put there arms around her and let her cry into his or her shoulder until she had cried herself out.

"What were you dreaming?" Jack asked seriously, pulling away slightly so he could look at her face.

"It doesn't matter," she said, pulling out of the embrace and lying back down on her side of the bed.

"It does matter, luv. You don't thrash around and then cry out over something that doesn't matter. Now what was it?" He just waited for an answer; he probably would've waited all night if he had to. But Natilra rolled over after only a few minutes.

"I was having my nightmare again, the one about Trinidad." She just hoped he knew what she meant and from the look on his face, he did.

"Your ship, your crew. It must have been a dreadful day for you," Jack said concernedly.

"Yes, it was," she murmured, still seeing the past but then her brain woke up. "Jack...?"

"What is it?"

"You said I cried out. Could you make out what I said?" She tried her best to keep the apprehension out of her voice.

"Yes, luv. You called out 'Joshamee'. Who was he? One of your lovers?"

"No, Jack, I've never had a lover. But he did love me, he told me on that accursed day. I had loved him for most of the time he served under me but he was married." She shrugged before continuing. "I was Godmother to his daughter and loved her as if she was my own. I haven't quite gotten over him yet, because it has only been 18 months for me." Jack nodded.

"Fair enough." He stood up and started to pull on his coat.

"Don't go Jack," Natilra said, getting up and putting a restraining hand on his arm. "Have you forgotten last night already?"

"That didn't mean anything, we both drunk," he grinned.

"It wasn't the rum, at least not for me. I'm sick of living in the past. I want to move on." Her blue eyes met his brown ones and then there lips followed suit. "Won't you come back to bed, luv?" she grinned evily.  
They lay talking for awhile before drifting back off to sleep.

_NJ_

They set off for the docks after lunch a couple of days later.

"Feast your eyes, Captain. All of them, faithful hands before the mast, every man worth his salt. And crazy to boot," Gibbs added quietly, so the crew didn't hear him.

"So this is your able-bodied crew?" Turner asked sceptically. The four of them then walked along the pier until Jack found one he liked.

"You, sailor!"

"Cotton, sir," Gibbs readily provided the name.

"Mr. Cotton... do you have the courage and fortitude to follow orders and stay true in the face of danger and almost certain death? Mr. Cotton! Answer, man!" Jack said in slight exasperation.

"He's a mute, sir. Poor devil had his tongue cut out, so he trained the parrot to talk for him. No one's yet figured how," Gibbs informed them.

"Mr. Cotton 's... parrot. Same question.

"Wind in the sails! Wind in the sails!" the parrot answered.

"Mostly, we figure, that means, 'yes'," Gibbs informed with only a little doubt.

"O'course it does. Satisfied, Will?"

"Well, you've proved they're mad," the Whelp said slightly insultingly.

And what's the benefit for us?" came a voice from the end of the line.

Jack led the other three over to the voice and took off the sailor's hat, revealing that it was a woman.

"Anamaria," he grinned and for the third time he got slapped.

"I suppose you didn't deserve that one either," Natilra queried amusedly.

"No, that one I deserved," Jack said, shame-faced.

"You stole my boat!" Anamaria raged at him.

"Actually, –" she slapped him again – "borrowed. Borrowed without permission. But with every intention of bringing it back to you."

"But you didn't!"

"Was that the one you sank in Port Royal's harbour?" Natilra interjected. Jack nodded.

"But you'll get another one," he added hastily at the look on Anamaria's face. She pointed her forefinger at him.

"I will," she barked.

"A better one," Natilra chiped in.

"A better one!" Jack assured Anamaria.

"That one." Natilra pointed to the _Interceptor_.

"What one? That one?!" – Jack exploded, rounding on her – "Aye, that one. What say you?" he said at the look on Natilra's features.

"Aye!" replied the Crew and Cotton's Parrot cawed "Anchors aweigh." The crew then dismissed themselves.

"No, no, no, no, no, it's frightful bad luck to bring a woman aboard, sir," Gibbs exclaimed, to Natilra's amusement.

"It'd be far worse not to have her," Jack answered looking at the sky.

"And it may have escaped _your_ notice but I happen to be a woman." Natilra's tone was mock-concerned.

"You're the Queen of the Pirates, not merely a woman," Gibbs said rather humbly and bowing to her.

"I don't like that sky," Natilra murmured and then sniffed the air. "A storm's brewing, Jack." He nodded and then headed to where the_ Interceptor _was docked with Natilra catching him up easily.

_NJ_

The storm broke upon them once they were out to sea.

"How can we sail to an island that nobody can find with a compass that doesn't work?" the Whelp asked Gibbs.

"Aye, the compass doesn't point north but we're not trying to find north, are we?" the latter returned and then shouted up at Jack. "We should drop canvas, sir."

"She can hold a bit longer," Natilra called back and Jack nodded his agreement, grinning broadly.

"What's in your head that's put you in such a fine mood, Captain?" Gibbs yelled over the roar of the waves.

"We're catching up," Jack said, turning the wheel expertly.

**A/N: ****This is a plea from this author: If you read PLEASE review! I want to know what you think, even if you hated it.  
Also I have, only recently, noticed this story was added to the 'All Stories that ROCK!' C2 and I want to thank whoever did that.**


	6. 6 Walking with a Ghost

Walking with a Ghost

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Pirates of the Caribbean characters (sigh), places or objects.**

**A/N: I got the quotes from SimplyScripts. A**** big thank you to my two new reviewers, katana777 and Rin07.**

Neither of the captains left the poop deck until the storm died, even though the sails had been furled hours before. Natilra was the first to go to her cabin, and bed, because Jack had to wait for Anamaria to relieve him.  
Jack was singing to himself as he pushed the door to the captain's cabin open and swaggered in. Once inside he removed his outer garments and, after a couple of swigs of rum, climbed into bed. If he had lit a lamp he would have noticed the mound on the side of the bed nearest the wall, but he hadn't. As soon as he _did_ realise there was someone else in the bed, he went reaching for his blade.

"Who are you? And what are you doing in my bed?" he said, rather louder than was actually necessary.

"I _was _sleeping. What are you doing in mycabin anyway?" the room's other occupant said groggily.

"_I_'m captain and this is _my _cabin," Jack said.

"Do you know how childish you sound Jack? Besides I'm the Empress of the Pirates and I bagged the cabin, so _raus_ _mit dir_!" she retorted, barely containing a smile.

"Come on, luv. There's room for the both of us," Jack said in his most persuasive tone, resheathing his sword. Natilra grinned and shook her head disbelieving at him.

"As long as you keep to our previous agreement," she said accusingly, Jack nodded in agreement and then slipped between the covers. Once he was comfortable Natilra settled into his embrace, her head resting in the crook of his shoulder. They got to sleep quickly, both wanting to be awake with the dawn, which was in three hours time.

_NJ_

As they were sailing into the shallows of the Isle de Muerta the crew crowded the rail to look at the wrecks strewn everywhere in the water.

"Puts a chill in the bones how many honest sailors have been claimed by this passage," Gibbs said, either trying to spook the crew, especially the lubber, or to get it out of his own thoughts.  
But Turner was watching Jack close the compass, to hide it from Cotton's gaze.

"How is it that Jack came by that compass?" he asked Jack's first-mate.

"Not a lot's known about Jack Sparrow before he showed up in Tortuga with a mind to go after the treasure of the Isla de Muerta. That was before I met him, back when he was Captain of the Black Pearl," was the response.

"What? He failed to mention that." The Whelp's first attempt at being sardonic made Natilra smirk.

"Well, he plays things closer to the vest now. And a hard-learned lesson it was. See three days out on the venture the first mate comes to him and says everything's an equal share. That should mean the location of the treasure, too, so Jack gives up the bearings. That night there was a mutiny. They marooned Jack on an island and left him to die but not before he'd gone mad with the heat," Gibbs informed them.

"Ah. So that's the reason for all the... "the Whelp said, doing an over-the-top impression of Jack. Gibbs gave Turner a semi-concerned look and then sat down so he had to look up at his audience.

"Reason's got nothing to do with it. Now Will, when a man is marooned he is a given a pistol with a single shot - one shot. Well it won't do much good hunting or to be rescued. But after three weeks of a starvin' belly and thirst, that pistol will start to look real friendly. But Jack - he escaped the island, and he still has that one shot. Oh, but he won't use it, though, save for one man. His mutinous first mate."

"Barbossa," the Whelp murmured.

"Hector?" Natilra said, starting forward from where she had been leaning.

"Aye," Gibbs said, frowning at her confusedly.

"How did Jack get off the island?" Turner said, evidently deciding to ignore Natilra's interruption.

"Well, I'll tell ye," said Gibbs, following Turner's lead. "He waded out into the shallows and there he waited three days and three nights till all manner of sea creature came and acclimated to his presence. And on the fourth morning, he roped himself a couple of sea turtles, lashed 'em together and made a raft."

"He roped a couple of sea turtles?"

"Aye, sea turtles." Natilra was fighting back a laugh at quite how sold on the story Gibbs was.

"What did he use for rope?" Will asked, which was the first sensible thing Natilra had heard out of his mouth. But then she saw Jack coming up and swallowed her laughter at Gibbs floundering.

"Human hair...from my back," the captain provided. "Let go of the anchor!"

"Let go of the anchor, sir!" the crew roared in response.

"Young Mr. Turner is to accompany Captain Jones and myself ashore."

"Captain! What if the worst should happen?" his first-mate inquired as he hurried to his side.

"Keep to the code," replied Jack.

"Aye, the code."

The boat was then lowered and they all climbed down into it.

"Give me the oars, Jack," Natilra drawled.

"That's OK, luv. I'll row."

"You know it's rather cute the way you act as if you have a choice," she retorted, sarcasm dripping from every mocking word.

"My boat, I bought it, I row."

"OK, Jack," she laughed gently.

_NJ_

As Jack rowed the boat into a concealed cove, the Whelp decided to display his ignorance of piracy and any pirate stories, yet again.

"What Code is Gibbs to keep to if the worst should happen?"

"Pirate's Code. Any man that falls behind...is left behind," Natilra answered and went back to watching for the shore.

"No heroes amongst thieves, eh?" the Whelp asked rhetorically. His remark amused both of his companions.

"You know, for having such a bleak outlook on pirates you're well on your way to becoming one," Jack informed him. "Sprung two pirates from jail, commandeered a ship of the Fleet, sailed with a buccaneer crew out of Tortuga..." they all look down at the gold on the bottom of the little river. "and you're completely obsessed with treasure."

"That's not true. I am not obsessed with treasure," the Whelp retorted angrily as the leapt ashore.

Jack and Natilra had disembarked before him and were now looking in on the gathering.

"Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate," Jack stage-whispered back to him.

"Gentlemen, the time has come! Our salvation is nigh! Our torment is near at end," cried Captain Hector Barbossa to his crew of miscreants.

"Elizabeth," murmured the love-sick puppy otherwise known as Will Turner.

"For ten years we've been tested and tried, and each man jack of you here has proved his mettle a hundred times over and a hundred times again!" continued Jack's former first-mate, provoking his men to cheer.

"Suffered, I have," one of the pirates yelled over the rest.

"Punished, we were. The lot of us - disproportionate to our crimes! Here it is..." Barbossa shouted kicking the lid off the chest "...the cursed treasure of Cortés himself. Every last piece that went astray, we have returned...save for this." This last he illustrated with dramatically pointing to the medallion around Elizabeth's neck

The Whelp scrambled up, apparently trying to climb through the opening, upsetting some of the treasure perched there in the process.

"Jack!" he said, pleading.

Jack pulled him back down.

"Not yet," Natilra told him warningly.

"We wait for the opportune moment," Jack said, nodding in agreement with Natilra. The two captains turned started to make their way back to the boat when the were brought up sharp by Turner.

"When's that? When it's of greatest profit to you?" he called accusingly after Jack.  
Both Jack and Natilra sighed heavily before turning to the Whelp.

"May I ask you something? Have I ever given you reason not to trust me? Do us a favour" – here Jack pointed at himself and then his fellow seasoned sailor –‏ "I know it's difficult for you, but please stay here and try not to do anything stupid."

As the two adventurers were waiting for their 'opportune moment' Turner snuck up behind them.

_NJ_

Natilra woke with a splitting headache to find water was lapping at her eardrums, which was probably what had woken her in the first place. She gingerly got to her feet and then made her way to where Jack was lying, still unconscious. She grinned and then lowered her head and shook the water out of her hair, like a dog. The cold shower woke Jack and he blinked up at her confusedly.

"Would you like to actually get up so we can put that plan of yours into action?"  
When he still didn't move, her exasperation and anger won out over her caution. "Getting the _Pearl _back! Remember!" Jack nodded, got up and grabbed the oar that the Whelp had probably knocked them out with. He then lead the way carefully through the caves but stopped when he heard one of the groups of pirates. Once the were both composed he stepped out.**  
**The one-eyed pirate was the first to spot Jack.

"You," he said pointing at Jack, his tone somewhere between accusative and disbelieving.

"You're supposed to be dead!" said his mate.

"Am I not?" said Jack, looking down at himself and then turning to where Natilra was, only to find her facing cutlasses and pistols. "Oh," he said when he found pistols pointed at them on the other side too.

"Palulay...palu-li-la-la-lulu, parlili... parsnip, pasley, par - partner, partner..."

"Parsley?" Natilra added to Jack's guesses.

"Parley?" the bald pirate's one-eyed mate provided.

"Parley! That's the one," chorused the two trapped pirates. "Parley! Parley!"

"Parley? Down to the depths with whatever mutton-head that thought up 'parley!'" declared their bald captor.

"That would be the French," Natilra informed him, pushing his pistol tip down towards the ground.

Barbossa showed up a while later and his look of incredulity amused both 'captives'

"How the blazes did you get off that island?" the _Pearl_'s present captain asked of his former superior. Jack leaned forward on his oar before speaking.

"When you marooned me on that godforsaken spit of land, you forgot one very important thing, mate. I'm Captain Jack Sparrow."

"Ah, well, I won't be making that mistake again," Barbossa said, turning towards his miscreants. "Gents, you all remember Captain Jack Sparrow? Kill him, and his little friend too." The pirates all pointed their weapons at Jack.

"The girl's blood didn't work, did it?" Jack taunted.

"Hold your fire!" Barbossa said in annoyance and the pirates reluctantly lowered their weapons. "You know whose blood we need?"

"We know whose blood ye need," Natilra said, grinning at him.

"Who the blazes are you?" Barbossa snapped, looking as if he had dung under his nose. But before she could speak Twigg stepped forward.

"She's Captain Natilra Jones," he said in an awe-filled tone. Natilra grinned at Barbossa evilly.

"And I delivered you, Hector Barbossa."

_NJ_

Some time later the three of them where in the captain's cabin on the _Black Pearl_. Barbossaand Natilra were sitting in chairs on either side of the table while Jack walked around the cabin.

"So you expect to leave me standing on some beach with nothing but a name and your word it's the one I need and watch you sail away in my ship?" Barbossa said with forced laughter.

"No. I expect to leave you standing on some beach with absolutely no name at all, watching me sail away on my ship and then I'll shout the name back to you. Savvy?" Jack explained grinning at his former first-mate.

"But that still leaves us with the problem of me standing on some beach with naught but a name and your word it's the one I need,"

"Is that a problem?" said Natilra in her tone of fake innocence. The gaze she turned on Barbossa made it all to clear that even if Jack referred to it as _his_ ship she was still the one in charge here.

"Of the three of us, I am the only one who hasn't committed mutiny, therefore...my word is the one we'll be trusting. Although..." Jack said, dropping into a chair and grabbing an apple. "I suppose I should be thanking you because, in fact, if you hadn't betrayed me and left me to die, I would have an equal share in that curse, same as you." Jack then bit into the apple. "Funny ol' world, innit?" he concluded and offered Barbossa the apple. The Bo'sun entered at this juncture.

"Captain, we're coming up on the Interceptor." Barbossa went topside closely followed by the captain and the queen. They ran up to where Barbossa was standing in the bow and Jack stepped in front of his spyglass, blocking his view of the _Interceptor_.

"I'm having a thought here, Barbossa. What say we run up a flag of truce? I scurry over to the _Interceptor_, and I negotiate the return of your medallion, eh? What say you to that?" Jack overly cheerfully pleaded, his hands flying everywhere.

"Now you see, Jack," Barbossa said, throwing an arm around Jack's shoulders. "that's exactly the attitude that lost you the Pearl. People are easy to search when they're dead." The _Pearl_'s present captain then turned to his Bo'sun. "Lock him in the brig." Before they took Jack away Barbossa reclaimed the apple and then, after merely glancing at it, threw through one of the sails, narrowly missing Natilra's head. The latter then stepped up to him.

"Are you going to lock me up too?"

"Yes. But where, that's the question," he said, running a finger down her face. She pushed his hand aside.

"I can't. I still remember you as a toddler, I just can't see the man in front of my eyes."

"Ragetti, Pintel lock her in the brigg!" Barbossa shouted and turned away, in such a fashion that made Natilra feel as if she had been shot. The one-eyed pirate and his bald friend led her down into the bowels of the ship and threw her into the same cell as Jack. She slumped onto the floor, thinking of Harriet Barbossa née Walters. She was glad of Jack's arm around her shoulders as she remembered one of her closest friends' death.

_NJ_

They felt the changes in the ships speed, direction and then the shudder of the cannons being fired.  
A hole was blown in the section of the hull that formed the cell's outer wall.

"Stop blowing holes in my ship!" Jack shouted at the gunners on the _Interceptor_, who had absolutely no chance of hearing him.

"Jack, I take it you haven't noticed that that cannon-shot has obliterated the lock on the cell door?" she said lightly, trying to contain a smirk. When he turned and saw the twisted metal he gave her his trademark 'lost pup' look, which made her laugh and hug him. "Come on. Let's go see who's winning and what we can do to tilt the balance in _our _favour." The pair of them made their way quickly up to the deck. As they emerged from the hold, Jack took a rope from a pirate and grabbed Natilra around the waist before swinging across the gap.  
On the _Interceptor_ they were met by Gibbs.

"Jack! Natilra!" he said in surprise. Jack handed Gibbs the canteen he had picked up in their cell.

"Bloody empty."  
Natilra ran over to help Elizabeth, Jack hard on her heels. The queen grabbed the attacker's wrist.

"Now that's not very nice," Jack told him, then Elizabeth hit her adversary with the butt of her weapon.

"Where's the medallion?" asked Jack.

"Wretch!" Elizabeth said, drawing her hand back to slap him but he caught her wrist and saw the binding.

"Ahh. Where's dear William?"

"Will..." Elizabeth murmured but then she saw him under a grate and ran over to try to free him, Natilra followed her. "Will!"

"Elizabeth!" the Whelp said trying to reach her through the grating.

"We can't move it," Elizabeth informed Turner, she was then dragged away. "Will!" she cried back to him.

"Elizabeth! Why don't you help her? Natilra!" Will yelled at her in anger. She had just managed to move some of the debris, when someone knocked her out for the second time that day.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter.  
I think I ought to mention that I'm completely ignoring the background info on Wikipedia, which is the only one I've seen.**


	7. 7 It's Not Over

Pirates of the Caribbean Script

It's Not Over

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Pirates of the Caribbean characters (****sigh****), places or objects. ****I got the quotes from SimplyScripts.**

**A/N: I am soooo sorry for having dropped out of circulation, you must've thought I was dead. Anyway, a big thank you to all my reviewers, you make it worth the effort.  
I hope this long-ish chapter makes up for my very long ****absence.**

The bald pirate, Pintel, circled Jack's bound crew with his pistol drawn.

"If any of you as much as thinks the word 'parley', I'll have your guts for garters," he said, his face twisted. The _Interceptor_ then exploded, wrenching a cry from Elizabeth and an oath from Natilra – who was standing next to Jack.

"Will!" Elizabeth yelled, slipping under the rope that bound the crew to the mast, she then threw herself at Hector and started to attack him with rather feeble blows.

"You've got to stop it! Stop it!" she wailed.

"Welcome back, Miss. You took advantage of our hospitality last time. It holds fair now that you return the favour," Hector said handing her cruelly over to the crew.

The Whelp then leaped up onto the rail.

"Barbossa!" Will called authoritatively, even though he was soaked.

"Will," the love-sick wench yelled in relief.

"She goes free," cried the equally besotted Whelp, pointing a pistol at Captain Barbossa.

"What's in your head, boy?" said the latter in disdain, as well he might.

"She goes free!" the Whelp repeated with vehemence.

"You've only got one shot, and we can't die," Hector explained in such a way as to imply he was talking to a small child, which was probably a higher level than the Whelp could easily understand.  
Jack and Natilra then muttered to Turner under their breath, not that he would have taken any notice even if he could hear them.

"Don't do anything stupid," they both nigh on prayed.

"You can't. I can," the Whelp declared pointing the gun up under his jaw.

"Like that," Jack sighed at exactly the same time as Natilra asked:

"Is there anything, humanly possible, he could have done that would have been stupider?"

"Who are you?" Hector sneered with little interest in his voice. Jack then stepped forward so he was standing in front of Hector.

"No one. He's no one. A distant cousin of my aunt's nephew twice removed. Lovely singing voice, though – eunuch," Jack said in a rush, trying to distract Hector's attention.

"My name is Will Turner. My father was Bootstrap Bill Turner. His blood runs in my veins." Jack's face fell as he heard the Whelp's answer and then walked over to Natilra, who had her head in her hands.

"He's the spitting image of ol' Bootstrap Bill come back to 'aunt us," Ragetti cried out.

"If Turner looks _that_ much like his father, how come they've only just noticed?" Natilra whispered to Jack, who grinned weakly at her in response.

"On my word do as I say, or I'll pull this trigger and be lost to Davy Jones' Locker," the Whelp shouted, trying to sound convincing.

"Name your terms, Mr. Turner," Hector said, taking a step towards the rail.

"Elizabeth goes free," Turner repeated for the third time.

"Yes, we know that one. Anything else?" asked Hector in a rather patronising voice. Turner saw his two captains pointing at themselves.

"And the crew - the crew are not to be harmed." At his words, Natilra pinched the bridge of her nose and then shook her head and Jack murmured something like:

"What about me?"

"Agreed," cried Hector, holding his hand out the Whelp.

_NJ_

Some time later, as Hector's pirates were restraining the Whelp, Elizabeth was standing on the ship end of the plank.

"Go on, Poppet, go! Walk the plank!" Pintel shouted to Elizabeth. The Whelp then decided to speak, or rather yell, at Hector.

"Barbossa, you lying bastard! You swore she'd go free!" Hector turned to him, anger radiating from every pore.

"Don't dare impugn me honour, boy. I agreed she'd go free, but it was you who failed to specify when or where." Hector's forced laughter made a re-appearance just before the Whelp was gagged. "Though it does seem a shame to lose something so fine, don't it lads?" He hadn't continued until Elizabeth was at the sea side of the rail. He had then turned first to her and only afterwards to his crew.

"Aye!" called the pirates.

"So, I'll be having that dress back before you go," he leered at her. Elizabeth removed the dress and threw it at him.

"It goes with your black heart," she yelled righteously. Hector pressed it to his face with a greedy smile.

"Ooh, it's still warm," he teased sarcastically.

"Spare us the domestics, you two!" Natilra called, only partly in jest.

"Yeah. Off you go! Come on!" shouted Hector's crew. When Elizabeth still didn't move, their Bo'sun butted in.

"Too long!" he moaned and shook the plank, making Elizabeth fall in. Jack was then dragged up to the plank.

"I'd really rather hoped we were past all this," he said, sadly.

"Jack... Jack," Hector said, draping his arm around his ex-captain's shoulders. "Did ya not notice? That be the same little island that we made you Governor of on our last little trip." He pointed out to the distant island.

"I did notice," Jacksaid, turning to face him.

"Perhaps you'll be able to conjure up another miraculous escape...but I doubt it." After this utterance Hector unsheathed his sword and brandished it at Jack 's throat with a flourish. "Off you go."

"Last time, you left me a pistol with one shot." Jack wagged his finger in Barbossa's face.

"By the powers, you're right." The sword re-entered its sheath.

"You mean you let him have a _pistol_? You really must want him dead." Natilra's humour and sarcasm wasn't even lost on Turner, the entire deck broke into laughter. Once he had wiped the tears from his eyes, Hector turned to his crew.

"Where be Jack 's pistol? Bring it forward." Jack 's weapons belt was then brought forward and handed to him. Jack's next statement showed he was obviously still trying to delay before walking over the side.

"Seeing as there's three of us, a gentleman...would give us each a pistol."

"It'll be one pistol as before, and you can be the gentleman and shoot the lady and starve to death yourself," Hector said before throwing the pistol into the sea. Jack then jumped in after it.

"Does that mean you're not sending me over?" Natilra asked, slightly anxiously.

"_That_ is up to you." Hector was looking as anxious as she was feeling, for those who knew to look for it.

"Hector, this is my ship and you shouldn't have stolen it. " She moved toward him but hesitated a couple of steps short. Hector, however, closed the gap between them but stopped before they were touching. Natilra wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. "Come find me once you're mortal," she said, grabbing her weapons belt and then jumping into the sea.

_NJ_

Jack staggered onto the beach, looked back at the Pearl and shook off the ropes that bound his wrists.

"That's the second time I've had to watch that man sail away with my ship," he moaned. Jack then set off into the wooded area. Elizabeth, much to Natilra's relief, followed him. She had just _kissed_ Hector, there had to be something seriously wrong with her. '_He isn't a child though. He's older than I am now._

'_This is how you talked yourself into kissing him in the first place, remember._

'_I know. It's just... Of all the people to kiss I choose a cursed mutineer that I last knew as a toddler!_' Jack and Elizabeth reappeared at this juncture. The former came and dropped down beside her before handing her a bottle of rum.

"Are you OK?" Elizabeth asked, sitting down next to Natilra and putting her arm around the younger girl's shoulders. For the first time, Natilra looked at the woman next to her properly. Here was a woman who had had a doting father and all the riches she could have asked for. Yet she was ready to give it up for Will, why? Why was it so easy for Elizabeth to decide that he was her man?

"I'll be fine. But I think we should go and get fire-wood instead... of... just lying... here." She had punctuated the tail end of her reprimand with tickling attacks on Jack.

"OK, luv, I'm moving," he yelped and ran into the wood. Before following him, Natilra turned to Elizabeth.

"_That_ is how you keep a guy on the run." She had great trouble saying that with a straight face. Both women were laughing uproariously as they followed Jack.

_NJ_

Once they had built the fire into a blaze, and had had several bottles of rum, Elizabeth and Jack started to sing and then to dance around. Much to Natilra's surprise it was Elizabeth had to teach Jack the song, but then again she had made it up as a joke.

"We're devils and black sheep and really bad eggs. Drink up me 'earties yo ho! Yo ho, yo ho a pirate's life for me." Jack was seriously out of tune and they were both decidedly drunk.  
"I love this song! Really bad eggs! Ooh," Jack yelled before falling onto the sand next to Natilra and then pulling Elizabeth down beside him. "When I get the Pearl back, I'm gonna teach it to the whole crew, and we'll sing it all the time!" he joked to her.  
"And you'll be positively the most fearsome pirate in the Spanish Main," Elizabeth said "Not just the Spanish Main, love," Jack corrected her. "The entire ocean. The entire wo'ld. Wherever we want to go, we'll go. That's what a ship is, you know. It's not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails that's what a ship needs but what a ship is...what the Black Pearl really is...is freedom."

"Yes, isn't she. Piracy is the closest you can come to absolute freedom." Natilra's eyes were shining with the promise and anticipation that all true pirates had. "I can come, can't I, Jack?" she faltered, she was gazing at him with worried eyes.  
"Of course. She is yours after all." Jack smiled at her before taking another swig of rum.  
"Jack...it must be really terrible for you to be trapped on this island." Natilra wondered if Elizabeth was trying to draw Jack's attention away from her by switching subject so abruptly.  
"Oh, yes. But the company is infinitely better than last time, I think," Jack said, putting an arm around Natilra's shoulder. "And the scenery has definitely improved," he said, putting his other arm around Elizabeth's shoulder.  
"Mr. Sparrow...I'm not entirely sure that I've had enough rum to allow that kind of talk," Elizabeth said in her over-the-top posh voice, pulling out of Jack's embrace.  
"I don't think I've had enough rum either to let you get away with saying I don't improve the scenery," Natilra muttered but they were so wrapped up in each other that neither noticed.  
"I know exactly what you mean, luv." Jack curled his moustache, once he had stopped speaking. Elizabeth then held her bottle out for a toast.

"To freedom," she declared.  
"To the Black Pearl," Jack and Natilra chorused, clinking bottles with the governor's daughter. Jack then drank until he lost consciousness.

"I think we should get some sleep while it's safe." Natilra grinned at Elizabeth's look of confusion. "You know, while he's in a drunken stupor. You're not telling me you were going to sleep with him like to wake at a moment's notice?"  
So they slept. When Elizabeth woke the next morning it was to a splitting headache and they sight of a thoroughly unconscious Jack with his arm around a sleeping Natilra. It struck the elder girl how at peace the pair looked like that. But then she remembered her self-assigned task and made her way into the woods. She nearly had a large enough pile to start burning, when she noticed a fully alert captain leaning against a nearby tree.

"Are you going to try to stop me?" she asked the only other cognisant person on the island.

"No. All I want is one... no, make that two bottles." Before the would-be arsonist could object, the captain had grabbed two bottles of rum and sauntered away.  
It was a further half an hour, and three crates of rum, before the other captain woke to the smell of smoke and the sight of his island burning. This captain's first act was to run to Elizabeth.

"No! Not good! Stop! Not good! What are you doing? You burned all the food, the shade! The rum!" Jack yelled, flapping his arms at her.  
"Yes, the rum is gone," Elizabeth said rather brutally  
"Why is the rum gone?" Jack yelped.  
"One, because it is a vile drink that turns even the most respectable men into complete scoundrels. Two, that signal is over a thousand feet high. The entire Royal Navy is out looking for me, do you really think that there is even the slightest chance that they won't see it?" Natilra, who had a seat comparable to the gods of a theatre, thought the other woman was a bit too fierce.  
"But why is the rum gone?" Jack re-iterated.  
Elizabeth then, rather foolishly sat down with her back to him and stared at the horizon.

"Just wait, Captain Sparrow. You give it one hour, maybe two, keep a weather eye out and then you will see white sails on that horizon." Jack took out his pistol but then thought better of it and put it back in its holster. After this display, he stalked from Elizabeth, imitating her.

"'Must've been terrible for you to be trapped here, Jack. Must've been terrible for you.' Well it bloody is now!" he yelled whipping around to look at her inferno.

"Need a drink?" inquired a voice from ground level. He looked down to see Natilra proffering rum. Jack grabbed the bottle and swallowed about half of it. His fellow captain got to her feet and climbed to the top of the dune they were on. As soon as she got there she spotted an anchored _Dauntless_.

"Jack!" she called down to him. "There'll be no living with her after this," Natilra continued, once he had joined her.

**A/N: I'd like to know what you thought even if you think this is the worst story in ****existence****! Please tell me why.**


	8. 8 Because You Loved Me

Pirates of the Caribbean Script

Because You Loved Me

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Pirates of the Caribbean characters (****sigh****), places or objects.**

**Warning: ****Innuendo**** of a sexual nature ahead! If you're allowed to watch 15s you should be fine.**

**A/N: Again a big thank you to the ever-present moonchild94 and Gosling. Sorry I've been gone for so long but, in ****compensation**** I have the next two chapters written. We're nearly there guys, so please: enjoy this new ****instalment.**

As soon as they had been hauled aboard, the commodore ordered his crew to set sail for Port Royal.

"But we've got to save Will," Elizabeth exclaimed, outraged.

"No. You're safe now. We will return to Port Royal immediately, not go gallivanting after pirates!" Her father was evidently incredulous.

"Then we condemn him to death," wailed the elegant young lady known as Elizabeth Swann.

"The boy's fate is regrettable, but, then, so was his decision to engage in piracy." Judging by his tone of voice, Natilra guessed that Governor Swann was not all _that_ sorry to wash his hands of Turner.

"To rescue me. To prevent anything from happening to me." Elizabeth was actually pleading now. But then Jack just had to step in right when it was getting funny.

"If I may be so bold as to inject my professional opinion. The Pearl was listing near to scuppers after the battle. It's very unlikely she'll be able to make good time. Think about it. The Black Pearl. The last real pirate threat in the Caribbean, mate. How can you pass that up, eh?"

"By remembering that I serve others, Mr. Sparrow, not only myself." The commodore brushed Jack aside, but Natilra wasn't going to let this opportunity pass.

"Oh, very noble of you, _James_," she interjected sarcastically, her eyes rolling as if of their own volition. Elizabeth spoke up again, however, before Norrington could utter a retort.

"Commodore, I beg you, please do this... For me... As a wedding gift."

"Elizabeth. Are you accepting the Commodore's proposal?" Whetherby Swann asked, his eyes like soup-plates.

"I am," his daughter answered quietly but firmly.

"A wedding! I love weddings...drinks all around!" Jack expostulated sickeningly. He then extended his wrists. "I know. 'Clap him in irons,' right?" Norrington stepped down to face the elder, but less experienced, of the pirate captains.

"Mr. Sparrow, you will accompany these fine men to the helm and provide us with the bearing to Isla de Muerta. You will then spend the rest of the voyage contemplating all possible meanings of the phrase 'silent as the grave' Do I make myself clear?"

"Inescapably."

"But not as to my fate," Natilra challenged the naval officer. When, after a few moments he had not replied, she added, patronisingly: "That means: What are you going to do with me?"

"Do not dare to talk to me like an imbecile–"

"Why, on God's blue earth, not?" she sneered in answer to his pompous outburst.

"Take this outspoken, unpatriotic _pirate_ to my quarters. No honest, God-fearing Christian should have to witness the flogging she will receive," Norrington nearly roared at his men.

"You might have trouble flogging me with _your_ stick!" Natilra jeered loud enough for everyone aboard to hear. The commodore stiffened and the back of his neck went bright pink.

_NJ_

Natilra was waiting for Norrington on his bed, as there was nowhere else to sit in his bedchamber. She was still not quite sure why the marines had thrown her in _here_, after they had dragged her brutishly from the poop deck, whence she would have quite happily walked or been frog-marched. The door was unlocked, 15 minutes after she had first been imprisoned.

"Who _do_ you think you are?" Norrington snarled the moment the door was locked behind him.

"I told you the day we met, James. I'm Captain Natilra Jones, Empress of the Pirates, who control the seven seas."

"Let's say, for the moment, that I believe you, that still doesn't explain why you insist on using my given name." She had moved off of the bed before he entered, and now she sauntered over to him.

"Why do you think?" she teased, laying a hand on his chest.

"You're a disgusting, ill-disguised whore," he spat the last word at her.

"How dare you?" Natilra was looking at him with a hurt expression.

"But you're a pirate." He was so angry and frustrated that he was near to tears. "I thought words could never hurt your type."

"You don't believe that." She was back toying and flirting with him again.

"Even if I don't, we still can't. After all, you are a pirate," he argued pragmatically.

"We have until we reach Muerta, and then we two shall probably never meet again.–" She would have continued with her poetry but he could not resist capturing her lips with his any longer.

"Natilra," he moaned, lustfully.  
Commodore James Norrington did not reappear on deck until the cursed isle was sighted. He left behind him a very conflicted young woman wrapped in soiled sheets.

_NJ_

Norrington dragged both Jack and Natilra into his boat, which was already full with soldiers. Since he had left her arms and gotten dressed, Norrington had been treating Natilra just the same as Jack, if not worse.

"I don't care for the situation. Any attempt to storm the caves could turn to an ambush."

"Not if you're the one doing the ambushing," Jack pointed out. "Natilra and I go in, we convince Barbossa to send his men out with their little boats. You and your mates return to the Dauntless and blast the bejesus outta them with your little cannons, eh?" he suggested, putting an arm on Norrington's shoulder. "What do you have to lose?" Norrington removed Jack's arm.

"Nothing I'd lament being rid of." He was sneering, but something like remorse or sorrow flashed through his eyes when he glanced at Natilra. Suddenly, she realised that James knew Elizabeth would not keep her promise, and she guessed he had transferred his affections and love to her instead.

"Now, to be quite honest with you, there's still a slight risk for those aboard the Dauntless, which includes the future Mrs. Commodore." When she heard those final words leave Jack's mouth, Natilra's heart plunged but then she remembered how the film ended.

They reached the cavern, that housed Cortes's treasure chest, without incident. The pair then pushed their way through the crowd of cursed pirates to where Hector was standing, muttering apologies as they went. Poor Hector was poised to slit the Whelp's throat.

"Begun by blood..."

"Excuse me," called Jack.

"...by blood un -" Hector tried, valiantly, to continue.

"Jack!" yelled the inexperienced pup.

"S'not possible," Hector gasped incredulously.

"Not probable," Natilra corrected

"Where's Elizabeth?" asked Turner, squirming manfully against his overbearing number of guards.

"She's safe, just like I promised. She's all set to marry Norrington, just like she promised. And you get to die for her, just like you promised. So we're all men of our word really except for Elizabeth who is, in fact, a woman." Jack's explanation ended with a puzzled look on his features and a sigh from Natilra.

"Shut up! You're next," Hector growled as he leaned across the chest to slit the Whelp's throat.

"You don't want to be doing that, mate," Jack warned.

"No, I really think I do."

"Your funeral," Natilra said in tantalisingly quiet voice.

"Why don't I want to be doing it?" You could almost hear Hector's unspoken 'pray tell'.

"Well, because," Jack started and then paused to remove the Bo'sun's hand from his shoulder.

"Because the HMS Dauntless, pride of the Royal Navy, is floating just offshore. Waiting for you," Natilra finished, in spite of the hurt, puppy-dog look she was getting from her partner in crime.

"Just hear me out, mate. You order your men to row out to the Dauntless. They do what they do best. Bob 's your Uncle, Fannie 's your Aunt, there you are with two ships. The makings of your very own fleet. 'Course you'll take the grandest as your flagship, and who's to argue? But what of the Pearl? Name me Captain, I'll sail under your colours, I'll give you ten percent of me plunder and you get to introduce yourself as...Commodore Barbossa. Savvy?"

"I s'pose in exchange, you want me not to kill the whelp." Hector wasn't to pleased at this prospect.

"No, no, not at all by all means, kill the whelp. Just not yet. Wait to lift the curse until the opportune moment. For instance..." – Jack picked up a few pieces of the treasure. – "after you've killed Norrington's men..." – he then threw all but one of them back as he spoke. – every... last... one."

Both Natilra and Turner saw Jack took a piece of the gold. While the former was copying his example, the other distracted Hector. "You've been planning this from the beginning. Ever since you learned my name."

"Yeah," said Jack, ever so slightly apologetic.

"I want fifty percent of your plunder."

"Fifteen."

"Forty."

"Twenty-five. And I'll buy you the hat. A really big one...Commodore."

After a moment's hesitation Hector declared to one and all: "We have an accord." The most untrustworthy pirates of all seas then shook hands.

"All hand's to the boats!" Jack cried, but then he saw Hector looking at him askance. "Apologies. You give the orders." He bowed as he spoke.

"Gents...take a walk," yelled their soon-to-be commodore. The cursed pirates made their way to the harbour.

"Not to the boats?" Natilra asked, flashing a worried look at Jack.

**A/N: I want to see a show of hands, who was expecting Natilra to fall for James?  
Next we have the fight scene, I just need a little prompting to post it. ;-)**


	9. 9 What Hurts the Most

What Hurts the Most

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Pirates of the Caribbean characters (****sigh****), places or objects.**

Jack and Natilra were wandering around examining the treasure when Hector spoke.

"I must admit, Jack, I thought I had ye figured. But it turns out that you're a hard man to predict." Natilra struggled not to laugh at what was probably the largest understatement of the century.

"Me? I'm dishonest. And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly... stupid," Jack explained and unsheathed one of their guards' swords from behind, kicked the man into the drink and threw the sword to the Whelp. Hector rushes Jack and the pair start dueling.

"You're off the edge of the map, mates. Here there be monsters."

"Yeah," laughed Natilra as she decapitated one of his miscreants. "And you're looking at the worst of them, hun."

"You don't know the meaning of the word," Hector sneered in her general direction, keeping his gaze on Jack's eyes.

"Oh, don't I?" Natilra's breath caught as the pirate with the smoking beard stabbed her in the stomach and then fell back into a pool of moonlight. Her fine, dark, shoulder-length hair was replaced by a mop of gray knots; her plump cheeks became sunken; her eyes were like water seen at the bottom of a deep well and her hands were revealed to be claws, the nails had grown about three inches. Unfortunately, Hector didn't see this transformation because he was too busy with Jack. The pirate she had been fighting, the two that had been occupying Turner and the Whelp all stopped and gaped, however. Smoking Beard lunged at her with a growl as did the bo'sun.

It was as she was fighting these two that Natilra heard, without seeing, Hector.

"You can't beat me, Jack." Natilra only just caught Hector's sigh as Jack impaled him. But she turned around, keeping her adversaries in front of her, to see Jack staggering into the moonlight, revealing _his_ skeleton.

"That's interesting," Jack said, inspecting his left hand and he then produced the medallion. "I couldn't resist, mate."

"Who could?" Natilra yelled, both of the other captains turned and saw her in all her skeletal glory. But then everyone got back to their respective fights. After exchanging a few more blows Jack ran from Hector, upsetting an end table in the process.

"Sorry."

"So what now, Jack Sparrow? Will it be it two immortals locked in an epic battle until Judgment Day and trumpets sound? Hmm?" Hector asked, obviously even immortal pirates need to catch their breath.

"Or you could surrender," Jack suggested, lightly. Hector merely growled before laughing demoniacally and running after Jack. The pair ran past Natilra and Turner as they were facing off with those members of Captain Barbossa's crew who had hung back from attacking the _Dauntless_. All this fighting was becoming tedious, when one of the pirate's cornered the Whelp.

"I'm gonna teach you the meaning of pain," the pirate yelled. But, unbeknownest to any of the duelers, Elizabeth had entered the cavern.

"Do you like pain?" she groaned as she swung a heavy, gold staff and knocked the pirate down and out. "Try wearing a corset." Elizabeth helped Will up and saw Jack and Natilra as skeleton. "Whose side are they on?"

"At the moment?" Will said with a shrug and a bemused expression.

"I could do with a little help, you two love-birds," Natilra called as she fought off five at once.

'_This is z_o _Zorro,_' Natilra grinned to herself as the 'love-birds' strung three of the enemy pirates together with the staff. '_Or Japan_'_._ She stuck a grenade into Smoking Beard's ribcage the three of them pushed the pirate shish kebab out of the moonlight.

"No fair," moaned Smoking Beard, scrabbling at his chest before he and his com padres exploded. Natilra disposed of the other two before running over to the vicinity of the chest, where the action was. She saw Will slice his hand open, copied his example and tossed him her coin before taking over fighting Hector. Jack cut his hand and tossed his own bloodstained medallion to Turner. Hector took aim at Elizabeth, making her freeze on a spit of rock. Natilra leveled her pistol at Hettie's boy but it was Jack who shot Hector, while he was distracted by Elizabeth. Hector turned and looked at Jack incredulously.

"Ten years you carry that pistol, and now you waste your shot."

"He didn't waste it," Turner explained as he dropped the three gold pieces into Cortez's chest. Hector let his sword slip from his grasp and looked at the blood spreading from the hole above his heart. "I feel...cold," he gasped and Natilra ran to his side.

"I'm so proud of you, my darling," she said, holding back tears and then kissed his forehead softly.

"Natty," Hector called out in his last moments as most men would call 'mummy'.

"I'm here," Natilra said as she took his free hand, her eyes shining with unshed tears. Hector smiled up at her and fell dead, allowing a green apple to roll from his other hand. Natilra hated herself for what she had done by helping to lift the curse and stalked away, tears rolling down her face.

_NJ_

"Natty? Come on, luv, you can tell me." Jack spoke softly as he laid a hand on each of shoulders and kneeling down, so he was eye to eye with her.

"He was little boy. Hector was like a son to me," Natilra answer, barely able to contain her sobs. Jack hugged her to him and let her cry.

"Hey, you're not thinking of not going over this lot, are you?" he murmured. She laughed, turning her face up to him and, much to her amazement, he kissed her. Jack, his arm already about her waist, pulled her in yet closer. He tasted wonderful, perfect even, but he still couldn't eclipse James from her heart. As she pulled away from him she heard the love-sick children in the main room.

Natilra started sifting through the treasure, filling every pocket to bursting.

"We should return to the _Dauntless_," Elizabeth called and both captains reluctantly left the hoard and walked through to join the others.

"Your fiancé will be wanting to know you're safe," the Whelp said regretfully, causing Elizabeth to turn and walk away. Natilra dashed after the elder woman, leaving Jack to deal with Turner.

"Elizabeth!" she called catching her... friend? no, comrade by the arm. "He loves you, you know that. He's just..." Natilra screwed her mouth up, trying to think how best to phrase this. "He's just ridiculously afraid that you'll say 'no' because he's a blacksmith and therefore somehow not worthy," she said in a rush.

'_I can't believe I just defended that cowardly, stupid, irritating Whelp!_' Elizabeth just stared at her like she was some kind of lunatic but the lads caught them up before Natilra could elaborate. They all climbed into one of the jolly boats and Will took the oars. It wasn't until they were nearly out of the caverns that Elizabeth spoke.

"I'm sorry, Jack. But the crew took the _Pearl_. They said you owed them a ship and that they had the code to consider. "

"They done what's right by them," Jack sighed, moodily.

"Can't expect more than that, and we _did_ promise them a ship." Natilra sighed too and clapped an arm around Jack's shoulders.

_NJ_

When they arrived at the _Dauntless_, they found further carnage as a result of the lifted curse. Natilra removed her coat, due to the heat of the night, and hung it over the rail before kneeling down beside the nearest body to close it's eyes. Commodore James Norrington was the first of the white wigs to spot them and Natilra had readied half a dozen corpses by that point.

"Elizabeth!" Norrington called, heaving a huge sigh of relief and nearly running to hug her. "Why did you leave the ship? I thought you were dead." Natilra noticed he was nearly crying with relief.

'_Oh, sod him! He's obviously changed his mind about her leaving him._

_You know she will and who'll be there when she does?_

_Not me! I mean, come awwwn (on). Look at him, he's as bad as the Whelp. What is it about that wench that turns all the boys' heads.__–_' At this point her train of thought was interrupted by Norrington.

"Escort Miss Swann to her cabin and take _Captain_ Sparrow and Mr Turner below. Jump to, get us under way Mr Gillette." Once naval men were jumping every which way to obey their commanding officer's instructions, Norrington came up to her and proffered his arm. "Would you care to take a turn around the deck with me, Miss Jones?" His sudden change in manner took her by surprise.

"Of course, sir." She smiled at him and linked her arm with his. They walked to the bows and paused to look out across the moonlit waves.

"Natilra," he began. "did she and Turner exchange any promises? Or act in an overly familiar fashion?"

'_So _that's _why he's walking with me, he wants to talk about his fiancé._' "Not that I saw or heard, commodore," she practically spat at him and wrenched herself free.

"Natilra, please, let me explain." His voice was shaking with emotion, and it was that which made her turn back to him. James walked towards him and took her hands in his gloved ones. "I love you, Natilra. But how can I break my engagement, without good ground, for the Pirate Queen?"

"Backtrack a moment... You love _me_? But how? I mean, compared to her, I'm nothing. How on earth could you even think of loving me?" She was having to fight hard not to collapse into a heap at his feet and scream. '_This all happening _way _too fast. It wasn't that long ago I was hiding from my family on Punta Guilarte Beach. And now one of the men of my day-dreams says he loves me. My poor brain's gonna melt!_'

"Stop being so hard on yourself, darling," he said, cupping her face with his right hand. "I... love... you... and nothing you say or do can change that." And with that he kissed her deeply. She wrapped her, somewhat tanned, arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

"Oh, James, I love you so much I'm fit to burst," she laughed, once they had unglued their lips. They linked arms once more and turned to find Jack standing watching them. "His time will come, and then I will too." Jack nodded as if he understood, turned and climbed below.

"What was that?" James asked, a frown contracting his marvellous features.

"Never mind, my love," she answered reassuring and led him to his cabin, which remained locked until the morning they reached Port Royal. In the inky blackness of the sea at an hour before the pre-dawn light, a figure in a black coat and a mahogany-coloured hat left the commodore's cabin and climbed down to the brig where they locked the door behind them.

**A/N: **


	10. 10 Far Away

Far Away

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Pirates of the Caribbean characters (****sigh****), places or objects.**

**A/N: Again a big thank you to everyone who reviewed, though a few more would be nice. ;-) There will be an epilogue which I would recommend reading if you want to follow the next ****instalment.**** But this is the final chapter.**

Jack and Natilra were back in their cell, and had been for the last three days.

Their window hadn't been repaired nor had the local dead-beats been recaptured, which was the only good point of Natilra's second stay in the dungeons of Port Royal's fort. Jack had become increasingly detached since he'd seen her and James on the deck of the _Dauntless_.

On the day of their hangings, Jack was first on the gallows. The marines had stood Natilra, hands bound in front, by the back left strut of the scaffold. The pompous official felt the need to read out a proclamation of the charges against Jack, _before_ he was hanged.

"Jack Sparrow, be it known that you have been condemned by a court of law for your wilful commission of crimes against the crown. Said crimes being numerous in quantity and sinister in nature, the most egregious outstanding of these to be cited herewith - piracy, smuggling, impersonating an officer of the Spanish Royal Navy, impersonating a cleric of the Church of England..."

'_He's got quite a weird and extensive list of crimes._

'_I just hope Turner has a plan to get _both _of us out of here._'

"..sailing under false colours, arson, kidnapping, looting, poaching, brigandage, pilfering, depravity, depredation, and general lawlessness," continued the king's representative. "And for these crimes you have been sentenced to be, on this day, hung by the neck until dead. May God have mercy on your soul."

The Whelp walked up to where James and Elizabeth were standing with Governor Swann. After saying a few words he made his way through the crowd towards the gallows as the noose was put around Jack 's neck. Natilra spotted Cotton's parrot a split second before Elizabeth did. She saw the other woman fall backwards and James deliberately obstructing his fiancée's father's view, as they bent to help her. Somewhere in the distance, or so it seemed to Natilra, there was a drum-roll was sounding.

"Move!" Turner yelled, thankfully someone listened. Will sent his sword flying through the air as Jack dropped. The sword stuck in the wood of the trap-door and Jack managed to get a foothold. The Whelp somehow managed to fight his way to the gallows, tossed Natilra her sword and climbed the scaffold steps.

Natilra cut her own bonds as Turner freed Jack and then threw Jack's sword at him. They battled all the way up to a turret where the three of them were cornered by Norrington's marines.

"I thought we might have to endure some manner of ill-conceived escape attempt but not from you," James admonished Turner but Natilra guessed he had had a plan for freeing at least her, or so she hoped.

"On our return to Port Royal, I granted you clemency. And this is how you thank me? By throwing in your lot with him? He's a pirate!" Elizabeth's father was as close to anger as he was able.

"And a good man, so is Natilra," the Whelp declared, causing Jack to point at himself proudly and mouth "That's me."  
"If all I have achieved here is that the hangman will earn three pairs of boots instead of two, so be it. At least my conscience will be clear."

"You forget your place, Turner."

'_He really ought to have learnt by now that insulting someone's pride or honour is a bad move._'

"It's right here...between you and Jack."

"As is mine." Natilra hastily stepped in front of the infatuated couple and looked James in the eye.

"Nothing need stand between them, except that which naturally does."

"There's nothing between us, luv," Jack said in a heart-breakingly sad voice. While this three-way conversation had been occurring, Governor Swann had persuaded the navy men to lower their weapons.

"So this is where your heart truly lies, Elizabeth?" James was in dire need of a straight answer.

"It is," the girl of the commodore's dreams murmured. It was then that Jack caught sight of the parrot again.

"Well! I'm actually feeling rather good about this," he said, swaggering around to face Governor Swann. "I think we've all arrived at a very special place, eh?Spiritually...Ecumenically...Grammatically?" then he turned to James. "I want you to know that, at de Muerta, I was rooting for you, mate. Know that." Finally, he faced Miss Swann who had eyes for only the Whelp. "Elizabeth...it would never have worked between us, darling. I'm sorry. Will...nice hat..." he paused and then faced Natilra. "It was nice to meet you, captain," and he swept her a deep bow.

"But she's going with you!" James burst out in confusion.

"Please remember me, and what I told you." Natilra was having trouble to keep control of her voice. Jack nodded at her and walked backwards to the low wall.

"Friends! This is the day that you will always remember as the day that –" he then fell over the battlement and his words were lost to Davy Jones'.

"Idiot. He has nowhere to go but back to the noose," Gillette sneered, he having been the first to the edge that Elizabeth had fainted over, which had begun this whole trouble.

"It ends as it began," Natilra muttered under her breath, she couldn't have guessed how true her words would prove, could she?

"Sail ho!" cried a sentry who was standing beside Gillette.

"What's your plan of action? Sir?" The lieutenant was obviously expecting James to declare that they would leave at once. Natilra, sensing her lover's indecision, placed a hand on James' shoulder but it took Governor Swann to persuade him.

"Perhaps on the rare occasion pursuing the right course demands an act of piracy, piracy itself can be the right course?" I can't make sense of this either

"Mr. Turner," the man, whose arm encircled Natilra's waist, called to the blacksmith. The Whelp turned to his 'one true love'.

"I will accept the consequences of my actions," he informed her very helpfully. James unsheathed his sword, the one with gold filigree laid into the handle, without hurting Natilra.

"This is a beautiful sword. I would expect the man who made it to show the same care and devotion in every aspect of his life."

"Thank you."

"Commodore! What about Sparrow?" Lieutenant Gillette called down to his commodore.

"Well, I think we can afford to give him one day's head start," James smiled, led his men and lover away.

_NJ_

The next morning, at two quarters past the tenth hour, the harbour-master pushed open the door of the 'Boned Pool' and saw just the man he was looking for, and not much else.

"... 'fool' as in 'idiot'. So basically it's the 'Drunk Idiot', don't ask me why, it's your pub after all!" his quarry laughed to his companion.

"Hey you! Brown!" As he reached the table, the harbour-master recognised the other man sitting there. "Good morning, commodore."

"Is there something the matter?" enquired James, effecting his concerned official voice.

"Nothing that need be of bother to you, sir. It is just I still have Mr Brown's boat."

'_But I told him to sel__–__  
_'_You don't think this could be their way of telling you it's time, do you?  
_'_Yeah, I suppose it is. __"It ends as it began," if that's true than this fits.  
_'_Anyway, what do you mean "do you think"? We are her thinks!  
_'_That is ungrammatical but correct. By the way, I thought you might be interested to be informed that they're waiting for you to... say something!_'  
"Two shillings are owed, I believe?" she said, smiling at the short-sighted, old harbour-master.

"Not if it be gone by noon."

"Much obliged, I'm sure," she mumbled distractedly as she fished in her coin purse. "Here's a shilling for your trouble," she said, finally having found the silver coin amongst all the gold. The man left Natilra and James to themselves.

"_Mr_ Brown? Is that man blind?" James humorously expostulated.

"Hmm... I do believe I was compelled to say something similar of you, commodore, when I first met you." Natilra smirked at the man who was covertly holding her hand.

"Why did you give him only one shilling?" James asked with a frown, looking so mysterious and stern that Natilra couldn't restrain a giggle.

"I'll move the dingh pronounced like 'thing' by a Jamaican, once I've seen you off, of course. How long until you sail?" James reclaimed his hand from under the table and fished out his new pocket-watch, which Natilra had given him after having visited her stash here in Port Royal.

"We sail at eleven 30, sharp. So..., we have another three quarters of the hour at our disposal."  
There was a glint in James' eye as he led her up to their chamber.

_NJ_

Natilra stood on the pier with the women of the other sailors, all of them waving furiously. They all knew, apart from Natilra, that their men might have women in other ports and wanted to try, one last time, to persuade their man to come back to them. Some of the other women even had waving children in the arms and clinging to their skirts.

"Come on, darling. If you don't wave then Papa might not come home again!" Natilra heard one mother tell her daughter, who could not have been more than four years old.

'_That's is disgusting, I don't know how any mother could be so desperate as to tell their children that.  
_'_What if you were to have James' child?  
_'_It would be __**OK**__... but I don't know if I'm ever going to see him again._' She checked her wrist watch and started for the public docks, her spice sack slung over her shoulder. Natilra found her boat with ease, it had the harbour-master, his assistant and several fishermen guarding it.

"'Ow foughtful o' ye. Be sure ta mention it t' the commodore, won't cha?" she said to them with a grin. She dropped her sack into the dinghy and began to untie it but the elder of the fishermen stepped in front of her.

"I'll do thad for you, ma'am," he said, tugging his forelock.

"Thank you very much, sir," responded Natilra, bending slightly at the waist. She then dropped into the dinghy and set the sail, the wind caught the scrap of cloth immediately. Once the mooring rope had been unfastened the boat started to sail out of Port Royal's harbour.

"Now...bring me that horizon," she murmured musically to herself, as she took out her compass. She began to hum as she adjusted the tiller so that the boat was heading east. "And really bad eggs...drink up, me 'earties, yo ho."

**A/N: I **_**really**_** hope you enjoyed my version of events, if Natilra was annoying on occasion. I also hope you would agree that I've gotten better since I started writing this, last September.  
A very big thank you to moonchild94 who has stuck with me all the way.**

**Now on to the epilogue...**


	11. Epilogue

Epilogue

**A/N: Again a big thank you to everyone who reviewed.**

I climbed the path from the beach to our holiday apartment. I knew, as soon as I opened the door, that my brother, who was the only person in my time that knew about the first time, wasn't there.

"Where have you been?" Mum asked merely out of interest, we'd agreed before coming that Rick and I would have a free rein while on the island.

"Oh, I was at Costa Hermosa you know, the youth bar. Me, Jacques and Pierre were playing a few games of billiards." I knew those two would bear me out. "Where's Rick?"

"He said he was going down to the beach about an hour ago," Mum told me as she went back to the dishes.

"Which beach?" I had lost what little colour I did have – my tan had disappeared when I came back to my own time – at her words.

"You know, Punta Guilarte Beach."

"Right, thanks. Well, I think I'll go and join him." I kissed Mum on the cheek before heading back the way I had just come.

When I reached the beach I nearly collided with my brother.

"Hey Olivia! Where did you get the boat?"

"I found it beached on the shore and took it out for a couple of hours. But don't tell Mum. I told _her _I was at the youth bar."

"OK. But tomorrow can we go out in it?"

"I don't know if the dinghy will be there in the morning. But if it is there tomorrow, then I'll tell Mum I hired it and we can go out for the whole day, OK?"

"Who's dinghy is it?" My brother did have a bad habit of catching me out.

"It doesn't really belong... Well, I guess, _technically_, it belongs to me."

The Fifth Element was just starting as we walked in and we decided to watch it, as it was only 8:45. Sometimes one just needs some mindless, funny violence to wind down. I went to bed straight after the film. Mainly so I could think about what had been and wonder about what could be and what could happen tomorrow.

**The End**


End file.
